Author's Notes: This one's a bit longer than usual. And yeah, I know I probably won't be fooling anyone, but I just had to write it.

-=oOo=-

The Date

"I really think you should reconsider, Raven," the Boy Wonder's voice betrayed his irritation. "It's about time you gave me more information on this Derek guy that you're seeing. His full name, what does he do, where does he live –"

"The 'personal' qualifier in the expression 'personal relationship' is just that, Richard," the sorceress replied frostily as she studied herself in the mirror and made a few tiny adjustments to her coiffure.

Robin sighed. "I know that, Rae. But I have to –" he tried again just as the door swished open and interrupted him.

"Yo, Rae, you ready?" a grinning Garfield swaggered into Raven's room. Robin folded his arms across his chest and glared at the green changeling.

"That goes for you, too, Beast Boy," he grumbled. "This is what, the fourth or fifth time you're going out with Janice and I still don't know anything about her except for her name!"

"Well, she's beautiful, smart and affectionate," Gar replied through his grin. "And she doesn't have a problem dating a pointy-eared, fanged, green-skinned guy. What else is important?" he laughed.

"What's important is for me to run a background check, both on Janice and on Derek!" Richard huffed. "It's a standard security procedure –"

"We're not idiots, Richard!" Raven waved him away with an exasperated sigh. "It's not like we'll be giving them the Tower's access codes or encryption passphrases!" She turned to Garfield and her voice warmed up. "How do I look?"

"Ravishing!" Garfield grinned. A small smile played over her features and she moved closer to make a quick adjustment to his tie. "You clean up pretty good yourself, Gar."

"Are you even listening to me?" their leader growled. Raven rolled her eyes and Garfield snorted. "You can't just go and date someone without me verifying and approving them!"

Garfield's grin faded and he frowned, but it was Raven's expression that made the Boy Wonder gulp and regret his hasty words.

"And just what gives you the right to decide who am I allowed to date?" Raven asked in a voice that lowered the temperature in the room to well below freezing.

Robin shook his head. "Look, I'm sorry, that came out wrong. But I do need to know –"

"You will know when I feel comfortable with you knowing," the demoness cut him off brusquely, her voice flinty. "And if you persist with your current behavior, that day won't be coming around for a long time."

"Raven, be reasonable –"

The empath turned away from him and her arm went around Garfield's waist, pushing him gently towards the door. "Let's go, Gar."

The shapeshifter grinned and his own arm folded around her shoulders. "Your wish is my command," he chuckled and led her out.

Richard grit his teeth and followed them into the hallway. "Dammit, you two!" he shouted at their retreating backs. "Will you at least try to take it seriously? Do you want to have Terra happen all over again?"

As soon as those words left his mouth Richard bit his own tongue, but it was too late. His two teammates stopped suddenly as if they'd hit a brick wall and slowly turned to face him. Raven glared with crimson wrath at their leader, but it was Garfield's expression – or rather, the utter and complete lack of one – that made the young acrobat's guts twist as he realized just how badly he blundered. His teammate's – no, his friend's eyes, always so expressive and full of life were now as dead as glass beads.

"There's a saying, Dick," Garfield spoke softly. "When you're deep in a hole, you better stop digging. Let's go, Rae," he took Raven by the hand and pulled her away.

Richard lifted his hands in an appeasing gesture. "C'mon, guys, I didn't mean it that way! I'm sorry!" he shouted after them. The two Titans ignored him and walked away to vanish around the corner.

The Boy Wonder's shoulders slumped and he slammed his head hard against the armored paneling of the hallway. "What a piece of work you are, Grayson!" he groaned, shook his head and headed for his room.

-=oOo=-

"Friends!" an extremely excited Tamaranean dove at them as soon as they entered the Ops room. "Are you ready to go on your dates? I am most joyful for both of you!"

"You'd think that after five dates her enthusiasm would've diminished," Raven mumbled quietly to Gar.

"That's Star for you," the morpher smirked back just as quietly before addressing the tall redhead. "We sure are, Star!"

"Glorious!" Starfire gushed, landed in front of Beast Boy and hugged him fiercely. "Oh, you must tell me, friend Beast Boy, have you kissed the Janice yet? Is she the good kisser? Maybe you are already having the intimate relations?" she machine-gunned the questions without waiting for the green Titan to recover the breath that was so suddenly and violently squeezed out of his lungs.

"Whoa, whoa, WHOA! Starfire!" Gar managed to wheeze. "Slow down, dude!"

"I apologize, friend Garfield!" the alien giggled, clasped her hands and flew a pirouette. "I am having the difficulty containing myself!"

Raven was silently smirking at the purple color that had replaced the green on Garfield's face when she learned that karma could work quite quickly and ruthlessly. Powerful arms seized her and lifted her off her feet as if she was a doll and she found herself spinning in the air, dazed and breathless.

"Star… fire… dress… ruined!" she croaked out with what little air was left in her lungs.

"Have no fear, friend Raven!" Starfire laughed as she set a gasping and choking sorceress down. "I would never cause the damage to your dress, not on such an important occasion!" An impish grin appeared on her face. "I am certain that the Derek is more interested in what is under the dress! But do tell me, has he kissed you? Did you allow him to fondle your mammaries? Are you soon going to –"

"STARFIRE!" Raven's hand shot up and the exuberant alien was enveloped in black tendrils that immobilized her. One particularly strong strand of magic wrapped itself around Starfire's mouth, cutting the fusillade of inquiry short.

"Those are very personal questions, Star!" the empath grumbled while she recovered her breath and her composure.

"Mmmpht mghrrr thkkk?" the redhead's eyes sparkled above the magic gag.

"Maybe," Raven smiled. "But 'girl talk' will have to wait until I get back."

"Hmmmghh dhbblhhh dhttt?" the irrepressible Tamaranean insisted. Raven frowned. "No. Double dates are invariably awkward. Gar will take me to where I'm supposed to meet Derek and then he'll be off to pick Janice up."

"Mmmmhhh" a slightly disappointed mumble came from behind the gag. Raven lifted a questioning eyebrow. "Can I release you now? You won't crush me and crumple my dress?"

The tall redhead nodded eagerly. The magic holding her evaporated. "Thank you, friend Raven! We shall have the 'girl talk' when you return, yes? And you can answer all my questions then?"

"Hmmmm," the half-demon tilted her head. "Not all of them. And there will, of course, be a price," she smiled crookedly and rose on tiptoe to whisper in Starfire's ear.

A feline grin spread over the alien beauty's features. "You drive the hardest of the bargains, friend Raven," she giggled. "Let it be so."

"We should go," Garfield touched Raven's shoulder. She nodded and took the arm he offered. "See you all later!"

"Have fun, Evergreen!" Cyborg grinned from the couch. "You too, little sis!" His grin expanded mischievously. "And don't let that guy fondle your mammaries!"

The demoness scowled at him. "Are you looking for a vacation in Hell, Cyborg? Because I could save you the travel costs and send you there right now!"

Cyborg just chuckled, knowing an empty threat when he heard one. Raven sniffed disdainfully. "Come on, Gar!" she turned and dragged her teammate to the elevator. Starfire and Cyborg watched them leave and exchanged meaningful grins.

-=oOo=-

"You do know that Cy probably placed a tracker on the B-ped," Raven observed as she secured the strap of her helmet. It would ruin her hairdo, but she wasn't too concerned. She was a sorceress, after all, and quite a powerful one. Using magic for frivolous purposes wasn't really her thing, but every now and then she allowed herself to let her hair down, pun intended.

Garfield's fang shone in an evil grin. He took a couple of spheres the size of marbles out of his pocket. "Two of them. The first one was pretty obvious, it was meant to be found and to make me think I'm safe. But I know his devious electronic mind way too well."

Raven returned his grin with one that made her demon heritage proud. "Good. Just in case he was thinking of following us, let's find the slimiest, stinkiest, grossest part of the sewers and toss them in."

"I love the way you think, mama!" Gar's grin expanded into a leer. "I know just the place. It would make Plasmus queasy."

The sorceress chuckled darkly. As much as she loved her adopted big brother, he needed to be taught a lesson every now and then. She mounted the B-ped behind Garfield and put her arms around him.

"He'll also be monitoring the traffic cameras, satellites and every other surveillance asset he can think of, " she warned Gar. "We'll play along until we can drop the trackers in the sewer and then I'll make a portal for us."

"Good thinking, Rae!" Gar smirked, gunned the ignition and they were off.

-=oOo=-

It was already dark when they exited Raven's portal to a lonesome, gently sloping and thickly wooded mountain side with an exhilarating view of the city and the bay below. They dismounted and removed their helmets. Raven took a hand mirror from her purse to try and restore some appeal to her hair.

"Can you turn on the B-ped headlight for a moment, Gar? My hair looks hideous, I really have to do something about it."

Garfield's arms enveloped her from behind and he nuzzled her ear. "You don't need to primp yourself, Janice," he smiled. "You're the most gorgeously beautiful girl in the world to me."

Raven turned in his embrace to face him and ran her hands affectionately through his hair. "Maybe I want to be more than that for you, Derek," she crooned. "Maybe I want to be… breathtaking."

"You always are," he whispered hoarsely and his head bent to fuse their lips in a fierce kiss.